In a twist that no one saw coming – at least not for another few months – Kwasi Kwarteng has been sacked from his role as UK chancellor and is succeeded by Jeremy Hunt, the former foreign secretary.
As part of another U-turn by Liz Truss, the Prime Minister noted that corporation tax would rise from 19% to 25% next April rather than staying at 19% as promised by Kwarteng in his disastrous mini-budget.
As Hunt takes on one of the most senior political positions in government, we thought it would be fitting to share our interview with him back in 2019, when he unsuccessfully ran against Boris Johnson to become Prime Minister.
Hunt agreed to an email interview with GLAMOUR, responding in full to most of our questions but slightly dodging a couple of specifics, particularly with regard to abortion rights in the UK. Here's what he had to say:
GLAMOUR: What specifically does feminism mean to you?
JEREMY HUNT: I am proud to call myself a feminist. There should be no gender disparity in any area of human endeavour. To me, feminism is all about overcoming historical injustice to ensure that women have the same opportunities as men to thrive and succeed in 21st-century Britain. It means celebrating the differences between the sexes while fighting against inequalities.
She's Britain’s third woman prime minister.
Who has been your most significant female role model, and why?
Nadia Murad is the most inspiring woman I have met recently, and she has been hugely significant for my work at the Foreign Office. Her book The Last Girl details her captivity at the hands of Daesh, where people from her religious minority – and women in particular – were treated with inhuman cruelty. She is the model of perseverance, who showed me again the importance of standing up for oppressed people around the world, and the value in having an international system built on rules, rather than assuming might equals right. I’ve sought to defend that system every day as Foreign Secretary.
Why should women today trust you, and vote for you, when the time comes? Please give at least two specific examples.
I have a lot of experience in tough jobs at the top of Government, and I think we need a serious and experienced leader at such a serious time for our country. I also believe we need someone who is focused on bringing the country together, young and old, north and south, remain and leave. In terms of specific examples, I’ve fought hard for human rights at the Foreign Office, getting the warring parties round the table in Yemen and fighting for the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe from her unjust imprisonment in Iran. I also focused on making maternity care better and safer when I was Health Secretary, which led to the stillbirth rate coming down.
How are GLAMOUR readers’ lives going to change for the better under your government? [Please note, these answers were given in 2019 as part of his pitch to become PM]
The big challenge facing younger people now is housing: I will deliver homes to help 1.5million young people get onto the housing ladder, taking advantage of the massive hikes in land value that property developers currently benefit from when planning permission is granted. I will also deliver change to the current injustice of sky-high interest rates on tuition fee debt – the current 6% rate is unjustifiable.
But most importantly, my plans to turbocharge the economy will benefit everyone. However, it is crucial that we make sure that our economy improves conditions for women, and, as Prime Minister, I will be reviewing the enforcement of gender pay legislation. I would also introduce protection from redundancy for women during pregnancy and extend maternity leave to six months, post birth. I would also go a step further and look at whether women are facing discrimination after miscarriages.
56% of young women are worse off than last year, a new survey reveals.
In what ways, in your opinion, will women’s lives be better or worse once we leave the EU? Please give two specific examples. What are the positives for women from Brexit that we might not know about?
It really depends on whether we get it right or wrong. With no deal, I think the economic impact could be challenging for everyone. Get it right and it could be the catalyst for economy renewal that we all need.
Britain has always been a forerunner of women’s rights, in the fields of education, property rights, politics and the workplace and it will continue to be so when we are no longer under the constraints of EU legislation.
Brexit will be an opportunity, particularly for women who have been frustrated by regulations such as the ‘tampon tax’, forcing them to pay VAT on tampons as if they were luxury items. Paternity leave is another benefit I hope to drive forward, post-Brexit.
However, it is important that we come together as a country for future choices. All benefits and rights must be discussed after Brexit, not before, but we need to win the support of our institutions and work with them. If we do, I am confident our historic tradition of being at the cutting edge of women’s rights will be upheld.
When it comes to women’s rights and equality, what personal achievements are you most proud of? Please give a specific example of the changes you have made, the positive impact and your personal feelings on these achievements.
I am proudest of my work during my tenure as Health Secretary. It was my honour to be the longest-serving holder of the office, and I was able to put through legislation, such as the aforementioned policies related to women’s health, such as breast cancer survival rates, maternity safety and perinatal mental health.
Being in the role for so long gave me an incredible insight into the wonderful work our medical staff do. I have incredible respect for everyone working in our hospitals and feel honoured to have been able to contribute.
What are you specifically going to do to ensure the gender pay gap closes at a faster rate – further to the mandatory pay audits that are already in place?
It really frustrates me when I hear that still, in 21st-century Britain, there is so much evidence on women often getting paid less than their male counterparts, despite doing the same jobs. This is why mandatory pay audits are so important in highlighting that there is an issue, and it is an issue we should combat quickly with intelligent and effective policies. We also need to do more to tackle the disparity in pensions between men and women.
As Health Secretary, I launched an independent review to look at the reasons behind the gender pay gap in the medical profession. The study found that one of the main reasons there were more men than women at the top of the career ladder, included the time women have to take off during maternity leave.
Under my leadership, I will introduce more extended paternity leave for men, which would take pressure off women to interrupt their careers. This would also change the way women are perceived by employers and level the gender-related playing field in the workplace.
Seeing yourself attacked and misrepresented by your government and the media contributes to poor mental health for many transgender people.
Do you believe women should be taxed on tampons? Would you consider removing this tax? What efforts are you going to make to tackle period poverty in London?
It is baffling that something as essential as a tampon can be classified as a luxury item. I absolutely believe tampons should not be taxed and I would look at how we could tackle period poverty in London and across the nation. As Prime Minister, I will work with charities, retailers and manufacturers to deal with the problem, from an economical and environmental viewpoint also.
Parts of the US are going back to Handmaid’s Tale territory with their abortion laws – can you assure us that this will never happen in the UK? Will you, today, assure GLAMOUR readers that you will rule out either commissioning or allowing any review of abortion limits under your government?
Yes. I have guaranteed that as Prime Minster, I will not make any changes to abortion rules.
You’ve said your personal beliefs are that the abortion limit should be reduced to 12 weeks, and we believe you are entitled to your personal beliefs. But do you believe that you, or any man or government, should be entitled to decide on women's choices with their own bodies?
Whatever my personal beliefs, I will not seek to change the law as Prime Minister. Of course, women should have the final say over their bodies.
Do you believe the embryo’s right comes above the mother's right?
These are matters of conscience, and I respect the fact that other people have very different views. Indeed, that is exactly why these matters are matters for free votes in the House of Commons.
Abortion = healthcare.
What have you done to protect women from FGM? Will this be a focus of yours as PM?
FGM is one of the most extreme manifestations of gender inequality. It is a human rights violation that can result in a lifetime of physical, psychological and emotional suffering. Protecting women from FGM is of vital importance to this country and the values it represents.
The UK is proud to support and accelerate the Africa-led movement to end FGM. Indeed, under my leadership, the FCO created a £50m UK aid package –
the biggest single investment worldwide to date by any international donor – to tackle this issue across the most-affected countries in Africa.
We are making progress. Today a girl is about one-third less likely to be cut than 30 years ago. But we have reached a critical juncture – global efforts need to go further and faster because population growth means that if progress is not accelerated, the number of girls undergoing FGM will increase.
As Prime Minister, I will ensure that FGM continues to be a key focus and I pledge my support for initiatives and fundraising projects working directly with communities, grassroots campaigners and supporting doctors, nurses and midwife to end FGM and care for survivors.
What are your views on animal rights/laws in this country? Do you feel they go far enough to protect animals? Would you make any changes as PM? Please give two specific examples of changes you’d like to make.
Well, I stand with my friend and colleague Michael Gove on this one when he states that we are a nation of animal lovers and that animals are sentient beings which feel pain. In the field of animal rights, too, Brexit represents an opportunity for us to take a more targeted approach to animal rights and ensure that certain practices which cause pain can be eliminated.
Britain has always been a leader in animal welfare but until now has been prevented by EU regulations from banning live exports to Europe.
As Health Secretary in 2014, I called for the conditions in chicken farms to be looked into and this is something I would like to resolve as Prime Minister.
Secondly, the direct effect of the environmental policies I would implement would vastly improve the habitat of marine life. I want to put an end to the plight of whales eating plastic bags.
Gates shares the female changemakers who are giving her future hope.
